Remembering Sal Aunese: Buffs' Late March Beats Iowa
Originally Published In
The Rocky Mountain News
September 18, 1988
By B.G. Brooks
IOWA CITY-Colorado's young and restless Buffaloes rumbled toward maturity yesterday afternoon. Iowa suffered from growing pains.
Unranked CU stunned the No. 19 Hawkeyes 24-21, finally and irrevocably silencing Kinnick Stadium's raucous capacity crowd of 67,700 as Iowa lost a home opener for the first time in six seasons.
The Buffs delivered their killing blow with an 85-yard fourth-quarter drive set up by cornerback Dave McCloughan's backside blitz on Hawkeyes quarterback Chuck Hartleib and end Alfred Williams' recovery of Hartlieb's fumble.
"It was just a great game. That's what football is made of," said Williams, who is fast showing what great football players are made of.
In addition to his fumble recovery, the sophomore from Houston made seven tackles (three for losses,) one of the Buffs' four sacks and a blocked punt that was nullified by a questionable personal foul penalty against CU.
The Buffs came to the heartland as five-point underdogs but left with a surprising 2-0 record and their best chance to enter the national rankings since October of 1978.
"We're a team now," crowed quarterback Sal Aunese in an ecstatic CU locker room. "We've answered all the questions."
If not all, those remaining weren't pondered at length as the Buffs wildly celebrated what coach Bill McCartney called "a tremendous step forward. It was terrific. There's something special about these kids."
No one said winning at Iowa would be easy, and at times the Buffs seemed committed to making sure of it. But they ultimately overcame a hostile crowd and adversity largely of their own creating (a pair of lost fumbles, three dropped interceptions and a blocked punt).
Before CU's winning drive, Iowa was poised for its own kill, having second-and-goal at the CU 7. The Hawkeyes led 21-17 with 5:36 left.
The Buffs could have gone belly up, but instead, according to free safety Bruce Young, who killed Iowa's last-gasp drive with an interception, "We showed 'em a tight fist. That's what this team is now. And it's gonna take two or three teams to break it. We're growing."
In CU's decisive 11-play drive, Aunese hit Jeff Campbell twice for 36 yards, handed off to Eric Bieniemy for 41 total yards and gained 8 yards himself -including the winning TD on a 1-yard sneak behind center Erik Norgard and right guard Darrin Muilenburg.
Aunese was the only quarterback CU used, gaining 31 yards on 20 carries, scoring a 17-yard run, and completing five of eight passes for 116 yards.
"It certainly wasn't a fluke," Iowa coach Hayden Fry said of CU's clinching march. "They ran right at us, threw the ball and did what they needed to do. Had we been tougher they wouldn't have marched the length of the field and scored on us."
At the outset, Fry's team (1-2) seemed to have a difficult time with togetherness. The Buffs opened a 14-0 first-quarter lead (on a 5-yard run by J.J. Flannigan and Aunese's 17-yard run) only to have the Hawkeyes tie it at 14 by halftime as free safety Merton Hanks scored on a blocked punt and fullback David Hudson scored on a 3-yard run.
The second quarter was a nightmare for the Buffs, who in their final four possessions of the first half gained only 8 yards on 12 plays. Pitiful field position contributed: CU began drives at its 2- and 5-yard lines.
It got better then worse in the second half. Eric Hannah missed a 40-yard field goal on CU's first possession, then hit a 28-yarder to give the Buffs a 17-14 lead.
Another opportunity was squandered when Bieniemy, who finished with 153 yards on 25 carries, fumbled at the Iowa 4 after the Buffs had first-and-goal at the 5.
Taking immediate advantage, the Hawkeyes drove 96 yards in eight plays and scored on a 19-yard pass from Hartlieb to tight end Tom Ward to push ahead 21-17.
Two possessions later, the Hawkeyes began the drive their fans thought would put CU away-only to be buried themselves.
With his team huddled behind its 15-yard line, CU center and co-captain Erik Norgard left and right said, "Here it is, 85 yards. Let's score."
CU responded, then left hoping this week's polls do, too.